Dylan Thomas Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Although Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) had received immediate critical acclaim when his first book of poetry, Eighteen Poems, was published in 1934, and he followed it with a 1936 work, 25 Poems, he was living in poverty in England and Wales in 1937. In July 1937, Thomas had married Caitlin Macnamara (the couple would have three children), and it was important that he find work, although he had begun writing short stories at this time. Thomas would become legendary in the U.S. with readings of his works in the 1950s. In 1953, the year he died from alcoholism two weeks after his 39th birthday, Thomas, a remarkable performer of the spoken word, read his most famous piece, Under Milk Wood, at a public performance in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The work was published posthumously in 1954.